Cupcakes and Night Flights
by paynesgrey
Summary: Claire continues to console Peter about Nathan's death. Season 4, "Let it Bleed" spoilers. Peter x Claire. ONESHOT.


AN: Written for the "picture challenge" at pairechallenge on livejournal. This is a one-shot and will not be continued.

Cupcakes and Night Flights

Peter springs alert when he arrives home. He hears movement in his apartment and he can see the kitchen light on around the corner as he creeps through his front door.

When he finds Claire in front of his stove, he relaxes and catches her smile when she notices him. She licks off red frosting from her fingers and hands him a cupcake. "Want one? No one can resist the infamous Bennet cupcakes."

"Claire, what are you doing here?" he says more sternly than he wants to. So he adds lightly, "I thought you had class."

She shakes her head and then bites into a cupcake, and he watches her face as she savors the taste. His own mouth waters at the sight, and he strolls over and picks one up, inspecting it as he awaits her answer.

"My last class ends at 3. I thought I'd stop by to check on you," she says, eyeing him closely.

"I'm fine, Claire. You don't need to worry," Peter assures her, and she shrugs and continues to paint the fresh, cooling cupcakes with frosting.

"I know, but I couldn't help it, Peter," Claire admits. "All day I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was worried." She pouts, and he sinks his teeth into her cupcake and loses concentration.

"Wow, these are really good," Peter says, changing the subject. Claire smiles proudly.

"Eat up; there's plenty, and for once you'll have food in the place," Claire says, and Peter glares at her for a second, but can't help but crack a smile. "I'm not sure how healthy living off of cupcakes is going to be."

"I'll manage. I have a high metabolism," he jokes, and Claire rolls her eyes.

"Yes, and I hate you for it," she replies. "Now. What are we doing tonight? Unless…" She tilts her head and peers at him playfully. "You have a date tonight?"

Peter shakes his head. "No, my social life has been horrible for a long time. All I've had time for is work and family. Besides, I don't want to endanger any more women."

"Well, lucky for you I'm practically indestructible," Claire says flirtatiously. Peter grins at her, and for a silent moment they're paused, staring at each other and tip-toeing that thin, forbidden line they always dangerously enjoy. When Claire looks away, the tension between them relaxes, and Peter grabs for another cupcake, only to dip his finger into the frosting and rubbing it on her nose. He laughs and Claire looks miffed.

"Hey," she says annoyed, but her eyes show joy instead. She wipes the frosting off slowly as Peter stares at her affectionately.

"Thank you, Claire," Peter says softly. "For being here."

Claire shrugs. "Of course. You're not alone in this, Peter, and you don't ever have to. We both lost Nathan, and we were both lied to. We can only get through this if we have each other." Her tone hardens a little more. "I just don't want you to bottle it in anymore. I want you to learn to let go."

Peter nods, and he watches Claire walk toward him, pulling him into another tight embrace. He hugs her, reveling in her warmth against him, and for a moment, he wishes he could never let go. He wishes Claire could come here everyday, with or without cupcakes, so he could just see her sweet smile.

So he could see Nathan's memory within her.

Tears began to creep into his eyes, and the thought of Nathan starts to overwhelm him. He starts to let go of his emotions again, and Claire releases him from the hug and looks concerned.

"Peter?" she asks, and he sniffles and she reaches up her hand to wipe away his tear.

He stops her hand, squeezing it lightly as he begins to compose himself. His voice chokes when he says, "Hey, you know what we can do tonight? Get your coat, we're going flying," he says, his eyes still wet, but his mood changing.

Claire nods slowly and matches his soft smile.

When she bundles up in her black coat, they move to the balcony window, and Peter wraps his arm around her as she settles against him. He lets her get comfortable, perfectly fitted against his chest as he secures her, and he hears her gasp softly as he takes them up into the air.

"It's been so long since I've done this," Claire says, and Peter thinks about the last time Claire flew. It must have been with Nathan, same as with him.

"Claire, I don't want to ever lose this power," Peter confesses. "I don't want to trade it for anything else, even if I need it."

Claire looks up, barely noticing their weightlessness and the chill in the air. All she sees is the pain on the Peter's face, the fear of dealing with a life without Nathan. It's going to take him so much longer to accept that his brother, the person he loved most in this world, is now dead forever and never coming back.

"Peter, you don't have to. You don't have to fight anymore," Claire says.

He laughs a little, and she can still hear the pain in his voice. "That's nice, but I don't believe I can, Claire. If I give up fighting the good fight, I'd be letting Nathan down."

Claire doesn't say anything, and Peter notices the desperation on her face as she searches for the right words to console him. Maybe there is none.

Instead, they both enjoy the flight around New York City. Claire becomes mesmerized with the colors of the lights, the different heights of the buildings, and the shapes of water and landscapes zooming around them as the fly past. She catches glimpse of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, and when she sees Ground Zero, she feels a quick pang in her heart that only leads her emotions back to Nathan.

She snuggles closer to Peter, her hands rubbing his back as she holds on. She can feel his lips on the top of her head while he leans into her, quickly, before tilting up and flying higher. They circle around the city and beyond, going as far as Niagara Falls and looping around Boston. When they make their way back to Manhattan, they both feel the disappointment that their evening has to end.

But their sadness for Nathan's death will always be much more permanent.

Peter lands back on his balcony, and Claire shivers as she lets him go, missing his body heat instantly.

She folds her arms around herself and says hopefully, "Maybe there's a way you can get your full powers back. You know, before Pinehurst."

Peter stares at her hopefully that maybe she's right.

He takes a deep breath and feels the rise of anger. "I want nothing more to be like that again," he says solemnly. "It's the only way I can finally kill Sylar, so that both of us are evenly matched."

Claire tilts her head and Peter wonders if she's going to lecture him about Sylar. Honestly, he doesn't know how she feels. Maybe she wants to kill him as much he does – for revenge.

She extends her arm and squeezes his bicep reassuringly, and she nods. "I hope we can find a way to make that happen, Peter."

He's relieved, of course. He should have never doubted Claire, and it gives him hope that she's on his side. He remembers a future where Claire was against him, and it's a world the he knows he cannot bear.

He smiles, and Claire steps toward him as he pulls her against him again. They both lean against the banister of the balcony and look up at the stars. The crescent moon in the sky seems so much tinier than when they were flying.

"Peter, you don't have to worry. We _will_ get him, and we will avenge Nathan's death," Claire says confidently. He turns to her and sees the determination on her face, which fuels his fire to go after Sylar even more.

Claire smiles and Peter catches a loose strand of her hair from the breeze and tucks it behind her ear. Her hand reaches up and covers his as he cups her cheek.

"I can't do it without you," he says. Claire nods against his palm.

"You won't have to," she answers, and to Peter, it feels like a promise – not just a promise that she'll fight by his side, but a promise that even though Nathan isn't here, Claire is, and he won't ever have to live his life alone.

END


End file.
